Comission
by Marf Redux
Summary: Peter wants to commission a painting for his Aunt's birthday. Imagine his surprise when the artist turns out to be Steve Rogers under a pseudonym.


I DO NOT READ REVIEWS, In Truth I don't even want them but I can't stop you but just know they won't be read by me.

This is the first completed part of fic series called stories about painting that is available on my AO3. I will only be posting this first part here on so to read the rest you need to go to my AO3 dash. Nearly the same name it is up Under Marf_redux

I do not fix errors on this copy as I never look at it again after upload I do fix them when I find them on the AO3 Copy.

Commission

He glanced at the card he was given and buzzed the apartment number on the card again. He was a bit late because of the latest villain attack on the city. Sure the Avengers had sent them packing but it had taken two weeks to arrange this appointment and if he missed it then he would have to find something else for Aunt May's birthday.

"You must be the boy Mrs. Jones said wanted James to do a portrait for him," a voice said and he turned to see an elderly man in a flower robe standing behind him. "James asked me to come down and look for you since he's running late but he'll be here not that it really matters since your a bit late yourself."

"I got tied up at work," he said recalling that it was extremely accurate those lunatics had managed to tie most of the avengers up with some ridiculously strong cables before the Hulk got there. "I'm Peter Parker."

"I'm Mr. Roberts by day and the fabulous Miss Louis by night." He said extending his hand so he shook it. "I pretty much run the building for James since he owns the whole thing." That surprised him he had never heard of this artist before Aunt May had liked the painting of Mrs. Jones and her dead husband. The fact that this artist had painted them both simply from old pictures had impressed Aunt May and she'd mentioned in passing how she'd love to have one more picture of her and Ben together so it would be the perfect birthday gift. "Oh look here he comes now."

He heard the foot steps of a man rushing and turned to find himself face to face with Steve Rogers Captain America himself. "Steve," He said shocked and Steve blurted out a similar statement. "Your the artist James Grant?"

"It's a pseudonym," Steve said looking embarrassed. "And your the young man Mrs. Jones sent over?" He nodded marveling at the coincidence. "I guess we were both late for the same reason then." Steve said beginning to laugh.

"So you two know each other?" Mr. Roberts said with a smile. "I must say James if this young man is your current paramour you have excellent taste." He didn't know rather to be embarrassed or flattered that this guy thought he and Steve were an item.

"Peter is just a friend from work," Steve said and then pulled a key out to open the main door. "Let's go up to the Studio and we'll discuss your painting." He followed Captain America up the stairs. "You didn't get a head injury during the battle today did you?" Steve asked startling him. "Usually your a much faster talker."

"I'm still in shock that your the artist all the little old ladies my Aunt knows are fawning over." He admitted. "I didn't even know you painted plus someone thinking we were together is another shock." He decided to tease Cap a bit. "I mean I'm way out of your league, sure your a national symbol and a super soldier but I can recite every word of the lion king by heart."

"So can I," Steve said without a completely straight face and he lost it. He had no idea if Steve actually could do it or was actually pulling his leg but after the day he had it was a welcome relief. They reached the top of the old stair case and Steve let him into a very large loft space. "Just make yourself at home I've got to ditch the kevlar I've got under my clothes."

"Oh is that what it is, I'm disappointed I thought you were just happy to see me," he couldn't resist teasing Steve a bit it wasn't something he normally felt comfortable doing when he was in the full Captain America suit.

"Your welcome to come watch the show," Steve said giving him a wink. "But since your here for business maybe you should browse some of my paintings." Steve pointed toward the rest of the loft where paintings hung everywhere. He couldn't believe it Captain Freaking America was teasing him.

He wasn't about to be outdone by Captain America so he slapped on his best flirtatious smile and asked, "where do you keep the nudes and other erotic ones?" He expected a blush that he'd have finally pushed Steve too far but Steve just smirked and he began to wonder if Steve was just teasing him or actually flirting.

"They are in the room at the back with the rest of my personal paintings the ones out here in the main loft are for clients," Steve said still smirking. "Feel free to have a look if you want." There was no mistaking that tone Captain America was flirting with him.

He found himself nodding as suddenly it was very hard to talk. He watched Steve walk off heading up the loft stairs to what was obviously the living area. He needed to distract himself so she started walking around looking at the finished and nearly finished paintings. They all were very similar to the one Mrs. Jones had hanging in her living room now though he noticed that Cap unsurprisingly didn't seem to discriminate there were all sorts of couples present.

He made his way through them glancing at the room Steve had indicated he decided what the hell and headed into it. The first painting he found was of an older blonde woman with slightly sad eyes. It reminded him of how Aunt May had looked in the weeks after Uncle Ben died still full of life and love but strangely muted some how. He turned away and made his way through finding that Steve hadn't been joking there were some painting that were definitely erotic. He wasn't surprised to recognize some of the subjects there was Agent Sharon Carter lounging on a beach next to Sam Wilson.

He wandered around there were more of both of them and he wondered if when folks said The Falcon had been Captain America's partner exactly how accurate that term had been. There were others a pretty brunette with frizzy hair and a young man who looked late teens to early twenties sitting in army pants with no shirt. He made his way through them all and found himself standing back at the older woman with the sad eyes. "My mother," Steve's voice said surprising him. "A few years ago the only photo I had of her was destroyed so I painted this to remember her by."

"She looks sad," he said and glanced back at Steve to see he'd changed into a blue jeans and a ratty old sweat shirt. He felt even more conflicted seeing him like that usually when they saw Steve in civvies he was dressed so much neater and less approachable.

"She always looked a bit sad but she was a widow raising a very ill child alone in poverty that isn't surprising," Steve said showing the same sad eyes as he looked at him. "I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable by flirting with you."

That's the reaction he expected from Captain America but he shook his head no. "I don't mind the flirting I was having fun it is just hard to get past the whole.." He stopped as he realized saying the Captain America thing was kind of insulting. He wasn't spider-man twenty four seven so why should expect Steve to be Mr. Red White and Blue all the time.

"The Captain America thing," Steve said with a bitter laugh. "Believe me that shiny propaganda tool is usually a problem in my relationships." He found himself staring at Steve. "Surprised I called him what he is a propaganda tool don't be there's no point in denying it." He would never have expected to hear Captain America saying that. "And he's a useful tool though there are times he's a bit confining I mean I can't exactly be completely honest about every opinion I hold or all the good he can do gets torpedoed so I have to tight rope every interview that gets slightly political."

He had often wondered why Steve was so reserved in interviews but he supposed that made sense. "Anyway your here about commissioning and a painting so let's talk about what you want?" It was a rather blatant attempt to change the subject but he went along with it.

"My Aunt was admiring the one you did for Mrs. Jones a friend from her charity work," he said as he dug in his bag to avoid meeting Steve's eyes.. "She mentioned she'd like one more picture of her with Ben so I thought it would make a good present for her next birthday." He found the envelope that had the photos Mrs. Jones had said he'd need. "But if your busy and can't do it I'll understand."

"Do you want to be in the painting with them or just the two of them?" Steve asked casually. "Or should I just paint both versions and you pick or give her both of them I should easily manage to finish by her birthday unless we have a lot of world ending crisis to deal with." Somehow he wasn't surprised that Steve seemed to know when Aunt May's brithday was.

Now that he thought about it none of the Avengers ever got asked to come in on the birthdays or anniversaries of deaths unless it was a real emergency. He felt like a jack ass for never noticing but he'd always simply taken it for granted that no one had ever asked on those days. He should have known that Steve was the one that did the duty roster. "I can't really afford two paintings Steve." He knew the other man was going to offer. "And I have to pay other wise it's not really a gift from me and Mrs. Jones told me what you charge."

Steve gave him an odd look, "I wouldn't charge anything if folks didn't expect it." He shrugged then, "I enjoy giving folks something else to remember a loved one by." He walked over to a small desk and dug around. "How about this you pay me what Mrs. Jones did for one painting and volunteer your skills as a photographer at these charity events taking place before her birthday to pay for the rest?" He said walking over with a handful of flyers. "I'm helping with them as Steve not Captain America so getting quality photographers for them isn't easy."

He skimmed through them they were mostly veteran and poverty related though the queer carnival to raise money for a struggle LBGT youth center stuck out. He noticed that none of them were specifically for kids something he knew Steve had attended in costume a lot. "Most of these aren't what you usually go to?"

"The big name charity events or the ones for children I go as Captain America cause it raises a lot of money but these are all local efforts and showing up in costume would give them lots of exposure but over shadow their actual cause." Steve smiled a bit, "plus it lets me be just Steve and not have to watch the press to make sure I am not being photographed with the wrong person." Steve then smiled at him, "So do we have a deal?"

Steve looked like a big handsome kid and he felt his stomach twist a bit even as he knew he was going to agree. He just couldn't stop thinking about the fact Steve had flirted with him. He wasn't opposed to being with a guy he and Harry had experimented and he'd even gone on a few dates with another photographer at the bugle until the guy had turned out to be an addict. "Sure I'd be happy to help but also let me take you to dinner?" He said on a whim and saw Steve looks surprised.

"What about the Captain America thing?" Steve asked clearly getting that it wasn't a friendly dinner invitation but an actual dinner invitation. He wished Steve hadn't brought it back up but he knew why he did.

"I'm not asking Captain America to dinner I'm asking this guy named Steve that I really want to get to know," he said after a moment. "I feel kind of bad that I haven't done that yet despite working with him for a while and besides you can quote the whole Lion king movie and that's a rare skill."

Steve flashed a brilliant smile before he started to laugh. He felt himself relaxing even if this didn't go anywhere he thought maybe he'd made a real friend today all because he was commissioning a painting for his Aunt. Of course when Steve stopped laughing but kept smiling he found himself hoping it would work out because Steve was freaking gorgeous.

The End.

I don't read reviews, rest of series up on AO3 under pen name Marf_redux


End file.
